Help my DS has a cough

[Completmentfille]

4.5 yo DS has woken up crying with a croup like barking cough, having had a runny nose all day. I've read this is what a covid cough sounds like and am bricking it. We saw my mum yesterday (in a tier 1 area).

I've booked him a test for the morning. Anyone have stories of their DC having a dry cough but a negative test???

Yes of course it might not be covid. Dry coughs have existed for millennia before covid.

But you are doing the right things booking a test for him.

It's unlikely to be covid. Presumably your son has had a cough before, many times, and none of those were covid. Even if it IS covid the likelihood is that all of you will be fine. Please don't stress yourself out over nothing. Get a test and then put it out of your mind.

It's just he never usually coughs like this

My daughter had croup a few weeks back, always gets it, even though myself and school knew it was croup she had to stay off school and get tested and it came back negative. Don't worry, just book a test and get it over and done with to put your mind at rest, the results are usually back within 48 hrs and fingers crossed it will be negative xx

Also just to add a croup cough is a nightmare, and it sounds horrendous and they struggle to catch their breath, it's all normal though just give him some calpol and give him a nice steamy bath as well. The doctor won't see you until you get a test though and then once that's back and you have a negative they'll be able to give steroids if it's still there x

DD2 had a croupy cough, right in the middle of lockdown (so tests not readily available).

We ended up in A&E and she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection.

I hope your DS is better soon.

My son had the most horrific cough, sounded like he was barking. He tested negative.

He's got a nasty cough. It's either a nasty cough caused by covid or a nasty cough caused by some other virus. He's no more likely to get seriously ill if it's covid than if it's something else, unless he's got underlying health issues. Why are you so worried?

If it’s croup it can be quite nasty in some cases and may need steroids from hospital.

Hopefully it’s just that distinctive cough (can also make a loud growling sound like darth Vader when breathing in).

However, if he starts to have trouble breathing, keep him calm and sitting upright and if you see him pulling in his tummy under his ribs or his neck pulling in, his nostrils flaring or lips turning blue, go straight to A&E.

I'm not worried about us, I'm largely worried about my mum whom we saw on Saturday. She is not vulnerable but is 57.